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We do not have enough income or equity. We have also applied at Subsidized Housing but we make TOO MUCH??
We now own our own home but need to move, it is too much for us to care for.
We are in our 70's. What can we do?

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Can you downsize to a smaller home?
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Look for a regular apartment in a senior friendly neighbourhood and hire in any extra help you need through a reputable agency.
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What country do you live in? Here are some suggestions for those living in the U.S. Are you willing to move out of state? Is one of you a veteran? Here in my state I also have one of those incomes that is not sufficient for a private independent living facility but is over the limit for financial assistance. I moved to a private independent living facility for U.S. veterans who have served during times of military combat. As the widow of a qualifying U.S. veteran I live here for a reasonable monthly charge. Ask everyone you know whether they know about an independent living facility. Some religious based independent living facilities welcome people of all faiths. They are not necessarily less expensive than others. Ask everyone you know and meet. They may know of a place that is not well advertised.
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Are there any apartments around you that are solely based on your income? I know that where I live in Mississippi there are some. They have long waiting lists but will take your application and tell you how much rent you will be paying. You may have to pay much more than a person living near you that pays a very minimal amount, but they seem to be well taken care of and most people living there are satisfied with their apartment. If your income chanes, you notify them and your rent will be adjusted. We thought about living there before we downsized to a much, much smaller house. There would have been the advantages of no yard or home maintenance. There are mostly older people in my very small neighborhood with very small houses of 2 bedrooms and one bath and home ownership is not so bad with lower monthly payments, a decent sized yard and house for 2 people and 3 dogs, so that is not a bad option, either.
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Revonah -- Stew7428 makes a good point inquiring about, "apartments around you that are solely based on your income?" Before I moved to an independent living facility, I lived in a garden apartment in a nice but not elegant complex with a pool. Only after I lived there a while did I learn that many residents were paying lower rents for identical apartments because they received government assistance and I do not. My non-subsidized income still qualified me for living there.
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Hi Revonah, there are many choices in housing and your question only mentions 2. When you refer to independent living are you talking about a continuing care community (CCRC)? If you own your home, it is unlikely that you will qualify for subsidized housing. Between these choices is an array of housing opportunities. There are many listed for your area by doing a computer search for your town. Keep in mind that when you rent, you will no longer be paying property taxes, and likely water bills. Utilities may or may not be included. I mention this so when you prepare your budget, you are reminded of the give and take in costs that stay and those tht go away. Good luck.
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If you are looking for independent living, does that mean you want a place that serves meals and takes care of housecleaning and offers scheduled transportation for those who don't drive? My husband and I lived in one of those and it was very expensive; we could afford it, but not much else. It was a good place as he had mild dementia, and I was still working and had to leave him alone for lunch. After he died, I decided to move to a less expensive place--even hiring a once a month housecleaning service and buying and cooking my own food, it is a lot cheaper, and the rooms are bigger. But if you need all of the services an independent community provides, then get on a waiting list of an income-based facility. My city (Memphis TN) has them, it's about a 2 year wait for the best ones.
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Depending on where you live, the market & if there are reputable property management companies, perhaps you can rent out your home & use that income to supplement the cost of an independent living apartment? Unfortunately, this is going to be an issue for more and more aging boomers. There aren't going to be enough alternative senior living options - even for those who DO have the money. For the one's who don't, you'll get a lot of "shrugs"...In anticipation of that & with mom's lack of assets, we bought a house via reverse mortgage with the expectation she'll "age in place". So, depending on the reasons you feel relocating is your best option, perhaps some renovations would make your present home more livable? I've spent countless hours patching together services/plans because mom is also in that "dead zone" where she meets income limits for some things and exceeds others. I have also found that the information out there is mute on the subject and provides absolutely no guidance.
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Aging in place isn't always the best solution. Once one spouse dies, it can be very lonely. Once upon a time, aging parents went to live with their offspring or some other relative, but now women are all working and that isn't possible. I lived in independent living 4 yrs until after my husband died, but it became too expensive then so I moved to a very nice apartment. However, when I get to where I can't drive, I may go back to independent living. I don't want to depend on my children to drive me to the store, dr's appointments, etc. and those are services you get with independent living. If you have a car now, you could get rid of that, and rent or sell your home for income to help pay for your independent living facility. But do look at the income-based facilities in your area and get on waiting lists of those you like.
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As mentioned here, downsizing to a smaller home is a good idea to consider. You may also look into apartments and apply for some kind of rental assistance program such as metro housing or whatever they call it in your area. You can look into this by first visiting your local human services and explaining the situation. You may actually end up having to sell your home and live off the proceeds for a while but don't waste the money, use it wisely and make it go as long as possible without depriving yourself of basic needs
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Perhaps a shared living arrangement with a group of other elderly seniors?
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Yes, a shared living arrangement sounds good if you feel comfortable living with other people, but not everyone is happy living with others. Shared living arrangements come with certain risks including privacy invasion and theft. Very serious soul-searching should be done before deciding to live with another person because not everyone is willing to take such risks. If you consider this, you do so at your own risk and there are no guarantees all will go well
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Ma was in a similar situation. She stayed in her house and paid someone else to cut the grass and shovel the snow. That was actually a lot cheaper than Independent Living. She kept her meals simple: cereal for breakfast, sandwich at lunch, meat & salad at dinner. Even if you add a once weekly housekeeper, you are still paying less than Independent Living. Stay where you are.
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Age 83 when my husband died, I remained in our two-bedroom apartment and had a weekly housekeeper take me food shopping weekly. After two years I decided to move to an independent living facility for several reasons. I was throwing out a lot of food because refrigerated salad fixings and eggs went bad before I used them, I disliked walking the short distance to the apartment complexes laundry facility in hot and cold weather, and I fell twice outside my home. I was not injured either time, but the falls made me feel I would be safer in an independent living facility. I would say if you're both in your early '70s try a new living arrangement. If you're in your late 70s and/or if one of you has a chronic medical condition, check out independent living facilities. I am a very private person, but feel living in an independent living facility is the best option for me.
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